Index
Scholarships
The Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation Scholarship
The Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation Scholarship was established in 1964 by the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation in memory of Alfred H. Smith, Class of 1932.
The Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation was established in 1947 by Charles F. Noyes. Charles was born in Norwich, Connecticut, and at the age of 10, began delivering newspapers. By age 12, he bought a newsstand concession with the earnings made from his paper route, where he sold newspapers, magazines and dime novels. It was a thriving business which he operated through high school. After high school, he moved to New York City and entered the real estate industry. By 1905, he owned his own firm, the Charles F. Noyes Company, and was soon known in Manhattan as "The Dean of Real Estate." His most famous deal occurred in 1951 when he sold the Empire State Building (built in 1931 and unprofitable until its sale) for the largest price in real estate history at the time.
In 1926, Charles married Jessie Cooke Smith, who dedicated her life to serving her community and, for several years, was vice president of Brooklyn's YWCA. After her death, Charles established the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation in 1947 in her honor. Until his death in 1969 at the age of 91, Charles and the Foundation were actively involved in helping minority students attend college and pursue professional careers. Today, the Foundation is "committed to protecting and restoring earth's natural systems and promoting a sustainable society by strengthening individuals, institutions and communities pledged to pursuing those goals."
The Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation Scholarship was established with a "belief in the central importance of individuals to any undertaking," and to memorialize the life of Jessie Smith Noyes' son and Charles’ stepson, Alfred H. Smith, who died several days before graduating from Hamilton in 1932.
August 2014
Please note: The named scholarships profiled on these pages support the College’s generous need-based financial aid commitment. These donor-funded scholarships help ensure the Hamilton promise of keeping education affordable through meeting a student’s full demonstrated financial need.
